Sermon Series Through May 13:

Below is the planned sermon series through May 13 (subject to change). This is provided so that you can read ahead. The sermon notes for each week will be posted the Thursday prior to each Sunday.

I will Build My Church: The Expansion

Acts 12:25 – 21:17 (not linked due to so many chapters)

When Luke opens his second book, Acts, he described the method God would use to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, crucified, and risen with authority over the work of God – the Church. Acts 1:8 declared that the spread of the Gospel was going to be through the ministry of the Holy Spirit. There were to be no gimmicks; there was only to be the making disciples of all nations through the preaching and teaching of the good news of Jesus Christ. The filling of the Holy Spirit was necessary before God would send them into the world. God was about to begin to fulfill His promise of Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church” and Luke now describes its expansion.

Once the Gospel reached Jerusalem, Judea, and Samaria, there remained the struggle for the spread of the Gospel throughout the whole world. How was God going to build His Church? His method was for the church to break out of the mold of Judaism and become the union of all nations by the biblical Gospel. The expansion of the Church places the once persecutor, who became the great Apostle Paul, into the center as he follows Jesus Christ in his three missionary journeys.

In the next months, we will explore how God built His Church. The emphasis is on the expansion and all the struggles that arise when God’s work meets the work of the enemy, Satan. However, as we shall see, God will accomplish His task, and indeed the “gates of hell will not prevail.” These lessons will help us deal with the challenges of ministering in our culture.